Tancredo wins GOP presidential poll

It’s early to pick out favorites for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination, but a Colorado congressman best known for his blistering critiques of lax immigration policies is two for two in head-to-head match-ups with some big names in the Republican Party.

Earlier, he beat Sen. John McCain, a presidential contender in 2000, by an even bigger margin.

Tancredo is the chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus and a leader of those calling for immediate and dramatic policy changes to restrict illegal traffic over the borders. Limbaugh is America’s most popular radio talk-show host with more than 20 million listeners every week and is considered a kingmaker for the Republican Party.

The poll is organized by a St. Louis Republican survey company that specializes in automated polling. Survey Saint Louis has been commissioned by Bush-Cheney ’04, the Republican National Committee and several statewide candidates in Missouri.

The Tancredo-Limbaugh match-up is part of the company’s “Presidential March Madness” sweepstakes that began March 17 with pair-ups of 64 possible candidates for the GOP nomination in 2008. In the first round, Tancredo beat Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., 73.9 percent to 26.1 percent with more than 2,000 votes cast. Final voting in the Tancredo vs. Limbaugh contest gave the congressman a 70 percent to 30 percent edge with more than 4,200 votes cast.

Tancredo has been the biggest vote-getter in the contest to date.

Each day through April 4, new surveys winnow the candidates down to a single mock GOP nominee.